Lotto 649 price going up, every draw will have $1M winner

There are two major changes coming to Lotto 649 in the fall: the cost of a ticket will be going up, from $2 to $3, and there will be at least one million-dollar winner for every draw.

With each $3 play, players will receive a unique number for the $1 million prize, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) said Wednesday in a release.

“These changes will make Lotto 6/49 better than ever while still being the game that Canadians have been playing since 1982,” OLG senior vice-president Greg McKenzie said in a statement.

There are other, smaller changes coming on Sept. 15.

Jackpots will start at $5 million and players can win free play prizes by matching just two numbers, the said Wednesday

The overall odds of winning any prize will improve, going from 1 in 32.3 to just 1 in 6.6 — which means nearly five times more chances of winning overall.

“We tested these improvements with more than ten thousand Lotto 6/49 players from coast to coast,” said McKenzie. “They were excited about the new ways to win and they told us that its great value for the new price.”

The game is still played the same way, the OLG said. Players must match up six numbers from one to 49 to win big jackpots or other great cash prizes.

Free plays can be won matching just two of six numbers.

How would you spend your jackpot? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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